1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the head covering art, and more particularly, to a combination head covering and hand covering to assist the user in catching objects and further to protect the hand by providing padding.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The history of head covering is long and colorful. Many sizes, shapes and colors have appeared from time to time for the purposes of protection, decoration, and simply style. Currently, one of the more popular head coverings is the baseball cap.
A baseball cap usually consists of four to six basicly triangular shaped sections sewn together so that the apex of each triangle meets in the center. The triangles are slightly tapered so that the completed assembly forms a concave crown sized to fit on top of the head. A stiff brim in the form of a visor that can shade the eyes is sewn to a portion of the crown. The shape of the visor, the size of the crown, the material comprising each, variations in the structures forming the cap, and additional items of decoration or identification added to the cap are all well known in the art. Such baseball caps are often worn by spectators at baseball games. The caps are worn on the head and thus are stored and yet mobil with the spectator.
In addition to baseball caps, baseball gloves are well known to baseball afficionados. Baseball gloves come in primarily a round shape for a catcher's glove and essentially square shaped for fielder's gloves, each glove having its particular specialization for the particular player's position and preference. The padding for each of these gloves varies, depending upon the exposure to injury commensurate with performing the desired function of catching a ball. For example, the catcher's glove is heavily padded to sustain the impact of the high velocity baseball delivered by the pitcher. The fielders' gloves require less padding and thus provide more control surface to hold the ball in the glove yet allow the ball to be easily removed from the glove. Some gloves, as a first baseman's glove, are particularly specialized for trapping the ball by providing a large web between the thumb and fingers with a "U" shaped pad protecting the thumb, the heel of the hand, and the fingers.
Baseball gloves of any style are often carried by a spectator to a baseball game in hopes the glove will aid in the fielding of a fly ball, that perchance should fall within the spectator's vicinity. It is possible that the spectator may be injured of he tries to "bare hand" the ball. The above described baseball gloves are comparitively large, cumbersome, and can become a bother and present problems. Once a spectator arrives at a seat in the stands there is no place to conveniently store the glove. If the glove is placed on the ground, the glove tends to be kicked around and becomes difficult to locate on a moment's notice when a fly ball is hit into his vicinity. Further, the glove can be forgotten at the end of the game.
Thus, there has long been a need to combine the convenience of a baseball cap with the protection of a baseball glove. The concave shape of the crown makes the baseball cap an attractive candidate to form an object-catching device. Many people try to use a baseball cap, as presently constructed, as an object-catching device by grasping the cap by the brim and holding the crown out as a net to catch the ball. The ball will usually spill out over the edge of the cap into the hands of another. Thus, it is desired to provide some method to affix the concave surface of the baseball cap crown to the user's hand. Such an attachment means will allow quick final adjustments in positioning the cap to catch the ball without losing a grip on the cap or crushing the crown before the ball enters the cap. Further, once the ball is in the crown of the cap, the hand can close around the ball preventing the ball from spilling out.
It is further desired that the catching device be readily available and easily implemented during those few moments between realization that a ball is coming near the user's vicinity and that precious moment of capture of the ball as one's own.
There have heretofore been devised various structures which, combined with caps, can perform various functions. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,597,447 and 2,668,204 showing a combined cap and fishnet; U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,361,289, 2,828,487, and 4,165,542 show various arrangements of combined caps and bags or pouches for carrying the cap; 2,443,848 shows a cap and rain collector; and 4,080,665 shows a combined cap and tennis racket cover.
None of these prior art arrangements can provide a convenient and easily useable combined cap and glove for catching, for example, a baseball. Thus, there has long been a need for structural arrangements combining the functions of a cap and a baseball glove.